A memorial service was held in Japan on Saturday to honor 136 Korean and 47 Japanese victims of the Chosei coal mine flooding accident that occurred on February 3, 1942.

According to Kyodo News and other Japanese outlets, the service was held at the abandoned undersea coal mine in Ube, Yamakuchi Prefecture, and was attended by bereaved families and Japanese lawmakers.

Yoko Inoue, the head of a Japanese civic group involved in the efforts to recover the victims' remains, said the group hopes to return the remains to the families in both countries this year.

Yang Hyeon, who leads a group representing the families of the Korean victims, said the disaster must not be confined to individual misfortunes but remembered as historical truth.

Underwater surveys have so far recovered five sets of remains since August.

The leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed during a summit last month to jointly conduct DNA analysis on the remains for identification.